Alpher, Ralph Asher

1932 - Attended a hebrew school at the age of eleven, he was already argumenting debates with the rabbi.

1933 - Started working and was earning 50 cents an hour.

1937 - Received an invitation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) informing him of the chance to attend MIT on a full scholarship. When he told that he was Jewish, MIT withdrew its scholarship agreement with no explanation.

1940 - He received his degree from George Washington University.

1948 - His prediction of residual cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) from the Big Bang was accepted and was published as an important paper. He provided much needed mathematical solutions to support Gamow's Theory.

1955 - Worked at the General Electric in Schenectady and his task was to work on energy conversions, gas dynamics, and color television.

1965 - Alpher was frustrated to find that two radio astronomers, at Bell Labs in New Jersey, were to be credited with discovery of the leftover radiation from the primordial explosion.

1989 - NASA launched its COBE, Cosmic Background Explorer, with the papers by Alpher and Herman. COBE found the cosmic background radiation at 2.7 degrees K.